


gilded crowns

by dregstrash



Category: Six of Crows Series - Leigh Bardugo, The Grisha Trilogy - Leigh Bardugo
Genre: Action, Action & Romance, Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Arranged Marriage, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, M/M, prince kaz, princess inej
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-17
Updated: 2020-04-17
Packaged: 2020-09-06 07:17:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20287567
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dregstrash/pseuds/dregstrash
Summary: Prince Kaz of Ketterdam has been subject of much mystery and speculation, but that doesn’t stop his brother, King Jordie, to arrange a marriage to Princess Inej of Suli. Neither party are happy with the arrangement. Kaz has other ideas and if he can drive Inej away, he can get back to the plans that’ll silence the demons that plague his dreams. Of course, what happens when she proves to be as stubborn as he is?





	1. first meetings

**Author's Note:**

> I finally decided to put this work up on ao3!
> 
> This all started because of this prompt "Angsty Kanej - arranged marriage where they don't get along at first and gradually fall for each other (could be AU or not??)" someone sent me on my tumblr.
> 
> Find me on tumblr at dregstrash for more of my one-shots and other WIPs, and general fandom nonsense

Kaz was going to kill his brother. He didn’t care about the treason charges. He would do it at dinner. Maybe he’d knock his big head over with his cane. Or maybe poison his wine cup. Either way it would be with everyone watching. Because out of all the schemes he had tried to pull over Kaz, this one was by far the most idiotic. 

He had been stuffed into his itchiest suit. He had been made to trade his favorite crowhead cane for the one that had the diamond etched with their family crest. He had been thrown into the receiving room that always smelled like mold no matter what the servants did to it. 

Kaz knew this was to be a trap, but when the princess of Suli materialized out of nowhere from behind the curtain, he audibly swore. 

He had told Jordie “no.” He had told his stupid king of a brother that he did not want to get married to someone he didn’t know. He had told him that he would set fire to his rooms if he tried.

But as it turns out the threat of arson was less menacing compared to needing good trading bonds with the Suli. 

“You shouldn’t swear, you know.” The princess, Inej (if Kaz remembered correctly), said with an upturn of her nose. These were the first words she spoke after an hour of utter silence.

“Why is that right?” Kaz said, his voice coming out in a sarcastic rasp, “Well the next time I say, ‘fucking saints on a spit’ you can remind me again.”

Her lips curled in disgust, “Don’t you people have any respect for the saints?”

That only elicited a sharp bitter laugh from him, “The saints? As in those crazy-ass Grisha that the people tore apart and then called them miracle workers?”

“Saints and Grisha are not the same.” She replied.

“Oh that’s right,” Kaz said crossing his arms and staring her down, “One of them are delusions people create to make their lives mean something, and the other are just people with magic that get burned at the stake anyway.”

Her brown eyes regarded him curiously, and he felt his hackles raise at her gaze.

“I didn’t peg you for a Grisha sympathizer, Prince Kaz.”

He shrugged, “I’m not. Just because one uses a hammer, doesn’t make him a hammer sympathizer. Grisha can be tools when used properly and I happen to know a prince that pretends like he doesn’t use them like they are.”

A beautiful flush bloomed at Inej’s cheeks at the mention of the Ravkan prince, and a satisfaction that was also laced with the regular amount of bitterness rose in Kaz’s chest. Nikolai was the one friend that Kaz tolerated, but that had its annoyances– having women and men fawn over him while discounting Kaz and his limp were one of them. 

Just as he suspected Inej was no different. 

“Ah interested in the dreamy Lantsov, are you?” He pressed, delighting in having some sort of leverage. “Must be tough hearing that he took a shine to his general. I’m sure your heart must have broken along with the thousands of people who hoped to share his bed.”

The redness of her cheeks didn’t fade, but the anger certainly did cut through her eyes as she stalked closer to him– her feet light and unheard.

Kaz watched her approach with an intense interest that shocked him.

“The next time you deign to speak of people as if they were nothing but tools to bend and break will be a time that you will dearly regret.” She hissed. Her breath hot against his cheeks.

If Kaz were any other man, he would have the right mind to be scared or at least nervous because that look that rested on her face was not to be taken lightly. It promised righteousness and justice. But Kaz was not just any other man, and he had learned long ago that those two things were just words that meant nothing. 

He leaned closer to her, smelling the perfumes her maids must have sprayed into her long brown, braided hair. 

“Why, my darling Princess Inej,” He whispered back to her. A cat like grin spreading across his face, “Is that a promise?”


	2. escape of the ballroom

There were rumors surrounding the younger prince of Kerch. Granted, rumors always trailed after royalty like stray dogs and cats, but the ones regarding the dark haired boy were rampant. 

The details surrounding the assassination of the king and queen had been vague and misleading, and after the appropriate mourning period passed– citizens of Ketterdam (the country’s capital) began to spread conspiracies openly. 

_They say the younger prince tried to stop the assassin and got injured in the fight._

_Have you heard about the doctor that was found murdered after he couldn’t set the prince’s leg properly? I heard from a serving girl that it was Prince Kaz himself who had killed him– that’s why he wears those gloves. His hands are still stained red._

_My mistress said that madness had descended over the younger son when he had found his mother in her bed with her throat slit– He isn’t right in the head anymore._

Jordie tried to dispel some of the wilder rumors (_No, Prince Kaz does not eat the hearts of pigs every morning. And no, he does not drink the blood of incompetent servants)_, by forcing Kaz to make frequent public appearances. He made him go to the opening of the new orphanage on the coast. He forced him to stand beside him at the ceremonial changing of the guard. Jordie even made Kaz get on a horse and try to ride among their people to make him seem normal. 

Except Kaz wasn’t normal– his normalcy was taken from him the night he found his father floating face down in the bath. 

Still, Jordie pushed him to look the part of a prince. So that meant, Kaz had been stuffed in another ridiculous suit, stuck in the middle of a crowded room, glaring at every single dancing couple that glided on the marble floor of the ballroom.

“Does the younger prince not dance?” A girlish voice floated towards Kaz, and while he didn’t turn his head, he knew it came from some lower lord’s daughter who had been eyeing him the whole night.

“He does not.” Her companion said much lower than the daughter. “Ever since his injury during the Blood Months, he has not been able to.”

_The Blood Months. _The months of mourning for his parents. The months where his childhood (and his leg) had shattered, his brother became more distant, and he had to come up with more creative ways to find company. Kaz made a point of snapping his attention to the blonde girl who had been speaking and had great satisfaction in the red blush of embarrassment that bloomed on her face.

She gave a small curtsy to him and then pulled her friend away from his line of sight.

“I didn’t think it was possible to repulse women with just one look, but you have proved me wrong.” 

_Her _voice appeared seemingly out of nowhere, and Kaz fought the flinch of surprise. Even after being in the palace for over two months, Inej had this very annoying habit of sneaking up on him– amongst her other annoying habits. 

“You underestimate me, Princess,” Kaz said not looking at her directly. She had this other annoying habit of snatching his attention too fully, and he was determined not to give her an inch. “I don’t need a look when my cane and limp does the job quite well.”

“That’s disappointing.” She said. She was baiting him. He knew she was. And despite his earlier thought of not giving her any more attention than needed, he was also bored– and boredom overcomes disdain any day.

“Disappointing?” He asked.

“Yes,” She sighed, “Because while your glare is enough to drive people away. Your cane should invite conversation– Just so your personality can really push them away.”

A rare smile wanted to break onto his mask of indifference, but Kaz reined it in. 

“And yet, here you are, Princess. Still annoying me to no end.” 

“I’m not like other girls, Prince.” She replied.

“Of that I am sure.” Kaz relented. From the corner of his eye he caught the midnight blue of the traditional Suli dress she decided to wear for tonight. And he knew instinctively that the color would look nice against her warm brown skin. The smells of the perfume she decided to wear wafted towards him, and his head split with half of him demanding he turn to finally take all of her in and the other half determined to ignore her until his brother gave up on this idea of arranging this marriage. 

An uncertain silence filled the space between them and then Kaz noted the time. It was almost midnight.

He let a smirk onto his face as he finally faced her, “Since neither my glare nor my personality has driven you away, what exactly do I have to do to get you to leave me alone?”

He was right in thinking she would look stunning tonight– because she did. The midnight blue dress complimented her delicate, lean figure and her hair was elegantly braided to look like a crown on her head. She wore a golden circle to identify her station and a light line of kohl made her brown eyes stand out.The furrow between her eyebrows only made her look adorable. 

“Do you want me to leave you alone?” 

_Yes. No. _Both answers slammed into his mind at the same time and he hated the fact he never knew what he wanted when she was involved.

“I simply have things to do and people to see– And I’d rather not receive another lecture from my illustrious brother about leaving you alone. Again. So you leaving first would be very convenient.”

“Where are you going?”

“Out.”

“Why?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” He gestured with his cane to the painted birds that tittered about. 

She followed where he gestured and chewed her lip. Unwillingly, his eyes followed the motion and he made sure that he was looking bored again when she met his eyes again.

“I want to go with you.”

This took him aback. “Why?”

“You’re not the only one who gets bored, Prince.” She sniffed. “And besides if you get into trouble again. You’re not the only one who gets a lectured for not trying hard enough to win you over.”

Kaz cringed inwardly. He still didn’t want to be married to her. He didn’t want to be married at all. But maybe if he can get Inej to dislike him enough then it won’t be up to him– and if he takes her along to tonight’s excursion she was sure to leave tomorrow.

“Fine.” He said simply and started walking towards the doors leading into the hallway.

He didn’t hear her following, but he felt her presence all the same. 


	3. late night meetings

Inej didn’t make sense to Kaz. And that bothered him.

Long before his world was upended, he was usually able to pick people apart like gears in a clock. He started to notice the weird twitches and eye movements people did when they were hiding something. He could see the strain in a woman’s face when her gaze flicked sharply over the hand of their husbands over their shoulders. Kaz saw through the pretty words that infected most people’s speech patterns, and more often than not that got him into trouble.

[_Kaz you can’t just call the ambassador of Novyi Zem a male whore in front of half the court and his wife!_

_Well he is, Father. And, also, he was lying about the Jurda crop reports. The delegate from Novyi Zem told him that an infestation of some bug got to half the Jurda fields._

_When did you learn Zemeni?_

_Kaz only shrugged_]

So it came to his dismay when Inej remained an enigma. She was all cold silence when it came to awkward dinners with her and his brother, but to any and all the servants she was warm and open. She strayed to the edges of the shadows when their were mandatory balls, despite the crowds of nobility eager to make her acquaintance. She was a collection of contradictions and the more time he spent with her, he found his feelings for her start to clash together in much the same manner.

Kaz led her through the streets of Ketterdam, avoiding the droves of people enjoying the summer air. She didn’t protest when he stopped in an alley where he removed a loose brick revealing a hidden compartment. He handed her a dirty, threadbare coat that was far too big on her. Yet, she looked almost panicked when he started stripping off his clothes to change into the plain black shirt and the matching trousers. He gave her a small smirk before shrugging the clothes on. He didn’t look like a peasant, but he didn’t look like a prince either. 

“You need to take that off.” He said gesturing to the golden circlet that still adorned her head. She didn’t question him, she did as she asked and then proceeded to undo the complicated knots that held her hair up.

Dark waves of brown hair tumbled into a luxurious curl with each released piece of hair, and before Kaz could do something stupid (like reach up to touch it), he turned away just as she started to braid it into a more simple style.

“Don’t say anything. Don’t draw attention to yourself. And for saintsake try not to look so saintsdamn righteous.” He said over his shoulder, using his cane to move quickly down the street.

_The Crow Club’s _silver crow head sign greeted them soon enough, and Kaz felt his shoulders ease slightly as he slipped down a side-door waiting for Inej to slide in before shutting the door firmly behind her. 

On Kaz’s fifteenth birthday, Jordie had given him some of his father’s antique weapons and a new cane. The cane held their family’s crest and was gaudy as all hell, but it was also the first time Jordie had ever acknowledged Kaz’s injury so he kept it. The weapons he sold– what was he going to do with old weapons with the evidence of death and rust on its handles?

He had to take the less obvious means of moving the merchandise so during his birthday party he changed his clothes and slipped away. That was the first time he had ever encountered the life of the desperate and the cutthroat, and it certainly hadn’t been the last. This new found discovery had become his secret sanctuary– and became the start of a very long hunt. And like any good hunter, one needed the proper campground. So he bought The Crow Club from the run-down old man who barely knew the difference between rain and a leaky roof.

“Any reason why you’ve brought me to a den of sin?” Inej hissed at him as they began to enter the main room where most of the noise was coming from. The sounds of angry men yelling at each other and the discordant sounds of an old piano poured out through the thin wood of the club, and Kaz smiled wryly.

“_I _didn’t bring you anywhere, princess. You followed me. And didn’t I say something about not talking?” He said without turning back. They reached a door embedded into the wall and Kaz gave a gentle push. 

The noise and the smell hit them all at once, but Kaz didn’t wait for Inej to adjust. The hidden door would shut on its own and based on how late it was, most people would be too drunk to notice that two people had just materialized from nowhere. He pushed through the throng of people and aimed towards the back of the bar, where a familiar figure was drinking jovially with a Shu man the size of bull. 

He heard Inej startle as she caught sight as to who exactly they were walking towards. But she remained silent.

“Sturmhond.” Kaz said as a way of greeting. The red-haired privateer grinned up at Kaz and raised his glass.

“Brekker. Good of you to show. I was beginning to think you stood me up.”

“I’m sure it wouldn’t be the first time.”

“On the contrary, my friend, not many people can quite refuse this face.” He gesture to the two seats facing him and his companion, and Kaz sat. Inej following suit.

If Sturmhond was surprised to be faced with the princess of Suli, then he didn’t show it. He merely offered her a wink and pressed a quick kiss on the back of her unassuming hand. 

“Ah, Princess Inej,” He said quietly enough to be cautious, “What a pleasant surprise.”

A fleeting look of panic flicked on her face before melting back into her cool indifference. 

“Forgive the manners of my dear companion,” He continued nodding towards Kaz. “He didn’t say we’d be graced by the presence of a lady.”

“He didn’t say that we’d be going to meet with pirates.” Inej said cooly. 

Sturmhond opened his mouth to correct her, as he was wont to do with anyone using the word “pirate,” but Kaz didn’t have time for the banter.

“Either you have something for me more significant than the size of your ego or you don’t, Sturmhond. Spit it out.” Kaz interrupted. 

The older man, who was more Jordie’s age than Kaz’s, gave Inej another wink as if to insinuate the conversation wasn’t over and then turned to Kaz. 

“I believe that whatever information I do have is more suitable for private ears. If you don’t mind.” He stood up and then pointedly looked up towards the office space that Kaz sometimes used. 

Kaz nodded.

“Tolya,” Sturmhond said to the Shu man, “Please keep the lady company would you?” The other man just nodded and offered Inej a friendly smile.

“Stay here. Don’t cause any trouble.” Kaz leaned down and said to Inej. She flashed him an angry look.

“All of this without a please, _Brekker?_” She used his pseudonym like an insult.

He looked down at the hardness of her eyes, and was tempted to give her more of a warning. But then he just shut his mouth and led the disguised king upstairs. Inej was the one who wanted to follow him here. He wasn’t Prince Kaz out in the Crow Club or in these clothes. He wasn’t the second born orphan who people looked at with pity. Here, he was Dirtyhands. He was Brekker. Let her see for herself what that meant.


	4. the deal

“And you’re sure about this?” Kaz tapped his cane on the hardwood floor unconsciously. His mind was turning over this new information slowly in his mind. 

Nikolai nodded, “It took some digging, but it turns out there are some gangs out there daring enough to commit treason for the right price.”

“Any chance you found out who hired the Dime Lions to kill my parents?” Try as he might, Kaz’s voice turned menacing at the mention of his parents’ murder.

He shrugged, “That information is forthcoming. As it happens, one of my crewmen was telling this rather tall tale of sharing a drink with some sailor a few months ago, spouting some nonsense about being part of that plot. And before you ask,” Nikolai raised a hand as Kaz opened his mouth to ask a question, “No description was given. It’s hard to really be aware of anything besides your drink. As we both know.”

Kaz grimaced as he recalled the few nights in which Nikolai had managed to convince him to “let loose” whenever he visited Ketterdam. 

“So basically you’ve given me nothing?” Kaz sighed.

An annoyed look slashed over his friend’s disguised face, “I wouldn’t call it nothing. I told you about the gang that was behind your parents’ assassination. It’s at least a start.”

Kaz scrubbed a gloved hand over his face in frustration. In all honesty, he should have been thrilled at the news. He had been waiting for years for news like this. Every day a painful reminder of how far he had yet to go to avenge his parents’ death, and now he was one step closer. 

_But it isn’t enough_, Kaz thought darkly. He didn’t just want the gang that was hired. He wanted everyone involved. He wanted to chop the head off this monster and put it on a spike as a warning to anyone else who was threatening to hurt his family. He wanted to bring everyone responsible down on their knees and begging for him to end their miserable lives. 

_Will it ever be enough? _The thought came out of nowhere, and it was so shocking that he had to physically shake his head to clear it away. 

_One step at a time, Brekker, one step at a time,_ He reminded himself. 

Realizing how long he’s been silent, he met Nikolai’s curious glance and said, “I have something for you.” 

“For me?” He smirked, “Oh, Brekker, you shouldn’t have.”

Rolling his eyes, Kaz opened his desk drawer and tossed a vial of orange liquid towards him. Nikolai caught it with deft fingers and held it up to the lamplight for a closer look.

“This isn’t–”

“It is.” Kaz nodded, “Confiscated it from a Shu trader that was being a little too handsy with some of my staff.”

“Why would a Shu trader be carrying Parem with him?” Nikolai said incredulously. 

“That’s what I thought, then I also confiscated this,” He held up a wooden pass coin and understanding filled Nikolai’s gaze, “The Shu are getting ballsy with their secret agents. From what I can tell, and from the meetings my brother’s been having, the Shu and Fjerdan have been getting cozy towards one another these past couple of months. And I think it’s too much of a coincidence that I caught a Shu agent carrying Parem the same week the contingent from Fjerda arrived into Ketterdam.”

Nikolai let out a string of curses. Despite his best efforts, Kaz almost felt sorry for him. He was all too aware of the perilous position Ravka was in nowadays. Most of it a result from their recent civil war. The country was in debt with half the world. That left them with little true allies. In the past year after Lantsov’s victory, they had to deal with the rise of a cult rebellion, threats of war from two countries, the mistreatment of their people abroad, and now there was this new drug designed to weaponize the Grisha. It was hard enough trying to smuggle people out through conventional means, and even if Nikolai didn’t realize it, he couldn’t keep sneaking away to be Strumhond. People were bound to notice when the king disappeared, the notorious privateer always increased in appearance. 

“There’s something else.” Kaz said cutting off his friend’s rambling thought, “There’s been report of missing Grisha around Little Ravka.”

“What’s been done to investigate?” Nikolai said sharply.

“Nothing.” Kaz shrugged again, “From what I overheard during the monthly reports, they were people of no consequence working in the pleasure houses. Not much can be done with those cases.” 

“Surely it’s a mystery that it’s only been Grisha being taken, why hasn’t your brother done anything about it?”

“Because he thinks there’s no threat to Kerch itself. And I’d be inclined to agree with him.” Kaz said ignoring the enraged glint in Nikolai’s eyes. “We have our own problems to deal with, Lantsov. I can’t worry about your issues, too.”

A wry smile suddenly appeared on is face, and Kaz had a feeling he knew where his thoughts were straying, “Is that why the princess of Suli is here? A solution to Kerch’s strained trade relations with the Suli?”

A strange mix of defensiveness and annoyance stirred in Kaz’s chest at the thought of Inej as a solution. She was more than that. She was an annoyance. A distraction. A pain in his ass. 

“No. The princess of Suli is here because my brother doesn’t know how to keep his business to himself.” 

“Careful with those arranged marriages,” Nikolai’s smile was a full grin now. “They can sneak up on you.”

Kaz didn’t bother trying to dignify that with a response.

Nikolai gave one last smirk before his mouth pulled down into a frown. He was silent for a moment, and then returned to the matter at hand, “Here’s the deal, Brekker. I know you won’t do anything for free, and your heart’s too black to do it from the very fact of saving lives, I have a proposition.” 

Kaz leaned forward and put his elbows on the desk, “I’m listening.”

“I’ll get the information you need of who hired the Dime Lions to kill your parents. Hell, I’ll even find out where that gang usually has their headquarters. _If _you help me get the Grisha out of Ketterdam. Let the Crow’s Club be their meeting point, and I’ll find a way to smuggle them out as soon as I can.”

Kaz shook his head. That would draw too much attention to the club. And he has spent too long cultivating its reputation just to help Lantsov. On the hand, this could be his shot to investigate more on the Dime Lions. Unless he could somehow get all the Grisha out all at once. It was possible. It was also stupid risky. But in order to smuggle that many people they’d need time and a distraction. A distraction big enough to–As soon as the plan formulated in his mind Kaz suddenly felt his stomach drop. It was brilliant. It was also the height of idiocy.

“I’d recognize that face anywhere,” Nikolai grinned, “What’s the plan?” 

Kaz opened his mouth to tell him that he didn’t need to know it, but there were so many ways that this could go wrong that he had no choice but to tell the one person who could keep a secret. 

“I’m going to announce my engagement to Princess Inej and on the day of the scheduled wedding that’s when you’ll get your people out.” 


	5. an announcement

Kaz remembered the first time he was ever afraid. He and Jordie were exploring in the gardens and they had stumbled upon a garden snake. Jordie, curious and reckless as always, stalked forward a long stick in his hand. Kaz had yelped in surprise and warning, and Jordie just shot his younger brother the smile that had gotten them into trouble on more than one occasion.

“There’s nothing to be afraid of, Kazzie,” He crooned. He had forced Kaz to take the stick and push him slightly into the lumbering creature. 

“Stop!” Kaz had protested as his brother continued to push him forward. Already images of the snake uncoiling and wrapping around its neck, forcing the breath out of his body were swimming in his mind. The very idea of losing that simple control of breathing had Kaz’s small hand trembling and shaking.

But Jordie hadn’t listened, he simply wrapped his bigger hand around his and guided Kaz to poke the snake. The creature hissed in surprise and slinked off deeper into the shadows faster than either could blink and Kaz let out a loose, hysterical laugh.

“See?” Jordie ruffled his hair the way Kaz hated and continued on their walk. 

“As long as you don’t give yourself time to be think, not much can scare you.”

Looking back, Kaz could admit that that was terrible advice. Especially to a boy no older than ten, but as he tried to sit calmly at dinner, he was glad for those words. Because if Kaz gave himself any room to hesitate in the plan that he had discussed with Nikolai the night before, then he would never be able to get the information he wanted. 

“How are you liking Ketterdam, Princess?” Jordie’s voice filtered through Kaz’s thoughts.

“I like it just fine, Your Majesty, I thank you for your hospitality.”

“It’s no trouble at all. We rarely get visitors these days, and I’m sure my brother enjoys the company.” The insinuation was thick in Jordie’s voice, and Kaz didn’t need to turn to face Inej to see the stiffness in her face. In any other situation Kaz would have cut his brother in a withering glare. But instead he seized the opportunity with both hands.

“I am very much enjoying the princess’s company.” Kaz rasped, fighting for his voice to adopt a lighter tone. “And I believe that a union would not be so terrible between us.”

The noisy clink of utensils up and down the table suddenly stilled. Everyone gathered, Jordie, his advisers, the Suli ambassadors, and Princess Inej, all gaped at him.   
Ignoring them, Kaz plunged on, “I’ve taken a look at some of the reports of our trade routes, and I don’t see why the Suli won’t make good, permanent trading partners.”

“Wait–” Jordie struggled for words, “Kaz, are you saying that–”

“And I was actually hoping to make things rather official for the sake of the paperwork,” Kaz talked on, slicing his food, feigning his nonchalance, “But I don’t see why I would need to prolong this decision any longer.”

“Your Highness, could it be–” The Suli ambassador’s eyes were lit up with triumph and joy.

But Kaz didn’t let the interruption stop him, “I would like to accept the Suli’s offer of marriage, and be formally engaged to the Princess Inej.”

If a painter had captured this moment, Kaz would have liked to call it “The Surprise Before the Storm.” Because that’s what it was. His brother’s mouth had hung open, caught between a smile and astonishment. His advisers eyes were drawn in befuddlement. The ambassador was suspended in a look of complete triumph. And Inej, oh Inej, she was Fury incarnate with her cheeks flushed and her eyebrows drawn in furious lines.

Less than a second after Kaz said the words, the table erupted in congratulations and applause and a call for more wine. Jordie clapped his brother on the shoulder proudly, and told him that he was doing his country a service. He probably missed the fact that Kaz had winced at the contact, and he was sure to have missed the way Kaz had started to leave the room as the servants came flooding back in with wine decanters in their hands.

Kaz started the long walk back to his rooms, and he mentally mapped out the rest of the plan.

His brother would overindulge himself tonight, that he was sure of. Which meant official paperwork wouldn’t be drawn until mid-afternoon tomorrow. That gives the ambassador plenty of time to start making arrangements with Inej to plan the wedding and alerting her parents to the news. He turned a corner and weighed the other factors in his mind. More likely than not the wedding would be planned for the coming months that would give Nikolai plenty of time to–

Kaz’s train of thought staggered to a screeching halt as he was being shoved roughly against the wall with the tip of a blade resting at his throat. A thin, but feminine forearm kept his chest pressed back, and he wasn’t all that surprised to see Inej glaring up at him.

“How dare you?” She hissed out.

If her anger wasn’t enough, he could feel the heat of her body singeing his clothes, and he fought for breath as he tried to fight the wave of dizziness that had exploded behind his eyelids. He wanted to push her away, or tell her to move, but he risked looking weak. And he couldn’t afford that. So, he tried to breathe through it, but his efforts were impeded as his Adam’s apple brushed against the sharp edge of her knife.   
“Am I supposed to answer that question or wait for you to kill me?” Kaz mused. “This is the first time I’ve had a knife to my throat, so you’ll have to let me know as it looks like you’ve had a lot of practice.”

“You had no right to decide that without talking to me.” She said, ignoring the question in his voice.

“No right to already make an inevitable decision that would be forced upon us later?” He argued.

“No one was going to force me to marry the likes of you.”

“Is that why your parents left for Suli? Leaving you here to some sort of prolonged dream vacation?”

Her nostrils flared, but he knew that he had hit some unknown nerve.

“Our fates were sealed with our births, Princess.” Kaz continued. “I’m just doing it on my own terms.”

“This is not some decision that is only reliant on you. I’m not some unwanted present that you can take apart to fit your needs, Prince.”

“I never presumed you were.”

“Oh really?” She scoffed, “Because from what I’ve seen, that’s how you treat everyone.”

Something flashed in her eyes, and he knew that she was remembering that night at the Crow’s Club. That night two weeks ago, neither of them had acknowledged, that had caused a new line of tension in their already strained relationship.

He resisted the urge to tell her that it was her idea to follow him, and that it was her fault that she had to witness the punishment he inflicted on cheating dealers (someone should have told the man that his boss had eyes like a bird, and the mercy of a demon). He also tamped down the need to defend himself that it was only a pinky, because in all honesty, he could have done much, much worse.

His goal that night was for Inej to see him for the monster that he really was, and somehow seeing it for himself brought an unexpected bitterness in his mouth.

Swallowing down his revulsion, Kaz pressed forward a little bit, risking cutting his own throat as he stared Inej down, “What do you expect, Your Highness? When you’ve already been taken apart, it’s hard to see anything as whole.”

She’d never really know what it really meant to be taken apart. She’d never have dreams painted in his mother’s blood as he recalled the way her head was slumped forward, her bed coated in the sticky wet blood. She’d never feel the absolute terror of finding his father drowned in his tub with a hooded man still dripping from the bathwater startle at the sight of the younger boy. She’d never know the blackness that suddenly gripped Kaz’s vision as strong arms forced his whole body into the water with the lifeless body of what used to be his father. The blackness that wasn’t strong enough to block the feeling of his father’s bloated corpse on top of his, as water forced its way into his lungs and a stronger hand kept him from the sanctuary of air.

“That’s no excuse, Kaz.” His name on her lips was much worse than any cold title or hint of disdain. Hearing her soft voice curl around the short syllable made him almost forget the precarious position they were in. With her holding his life in the palm of her hand.

“I wasn’t trying to make an excuse,” Kaz bared his teeth. She moved her position slightly and the bare skin of her arm brushed against the exposed exposed skin of his collar. The unexpected contact brought in a new wave of nausea and a surprising shock of panic.

Without thinking about the blade or what she might think, he hastily maneuvered out of her grip and growled when she tried to take a step forward. His chest was heaving slightly as cold sweat formed a new layer over his skin, and he tried his hardest to regain his composure.

When he straightened to look her in the eye, he ignored the vague look of concern on her face. He hadn’t been planning on letting the princess in on his plans, but he reconsidered his earlier decision. She was light on her feet, looked like she could handle herself in a fight, and heavily determined to not be married to him. These could all lend themselves to his favor if he played his cards right.

He coughed as if nothing had happened and brushed his suit nonchalantly, “The engagement is just a distraction, darling Princess. I just need more time to get some business in order, and once that happens, I’ll happily break it off, and you can go back to Suli to be offered on a platter to a prince who actually cares.”

Her earlier concern was soon taken over with surprise then suspicion .

“What do you mean?” She asked cautiously.

“I have some dealings with Strumhond that need a large distraction, and our wedding is practically made for it. I assure you, you will not have to be married to me by the end of it.”

She sheathed her knife with a practiced ease, and crossed her arms over her chest. She wore a deep purple dress tonight. The cut of it simple enough to not be extravagant, but still elegant enough to constantly assault Kaz with the simple fact that she really was beautiful. The deep flutter of his stomach as that realization dawned on him only had him scowling further.

“What exactly are you planning with that pirate?”

Kaz bit the urge to correct her, and shrugged, “It’s none of your concern.”

“I’m the one engaged to you, of course it’s my concern.”

“So you’re saying you do accept the engagement?” Kaz smirked. Inej gave him a blank look, and he almost laughed at the expression. He gave a flourished bow, “Until the next forced dinner we have to sit through, my darling fiancee.”


	6. an understanding

“Do my eyes deceive me or is this a wedding invitation?” Jesper’s brassy voice trampled any thoughts that Kaz was mulling over, and he didn’t hesitate to shoot his friend a glare. Jesper wore his grin much like his clothes, haphazardly and entirely too open. He held out a cream colored piece of parchment that had been sent out a week ago. 

The Zemeni didn’t have a monarchy, but they still had a council and was governed by the general public. Both Jordie and Kaz had to learn about the different types of governance throughout the world, and had to know the corresponding terms that belonged to each. So while the Zemeni didn’t have a king, they did have chancellors, and Jesper happened to be the son of the High Chancellor herself. 

The first time Kaz had seen the lanky boy, he had been twelve and Jesper’s mother had just been elected. Her and her husband had decided to take a tour around the neighboring kingdoms to assure no changes would be done with their treaties. At first, Kaz had been unsure about the boy who seemed to smile and talk far too much. He was a system of movements that seemed independent of one another, and while it was intriguing. Kaz also found it incredibly annoying. It wasn’t until he, Jordie, and Jesper took a trip to the armory that Kaz had decided to befriend the Zemeni boy. He did beat Jordie in a shooting contest, and any chance to knock his brother’s ego off its high horse was a good starting point to any friendship.

“You’re early.” Kaz stated as he watched his friend make himself at home in his study by pouring himself a drink and flopping down on his couch.

“Mother has some other business to discuss with your brother.” Jesper shrugged and taking a long drink, “And Da decided that he finally had time to examine the farming techniques of the Kerch or whatever.”

“Your mother still lets your dad run Jurda farms? Isn’t that slumming a little?”

“It’s not so much as letting him, as giving him a break from council meetings. He’s always hated the attention.”

“A trait that you don’t share, apparently.” 

Jesper threw Kaz a wink, “Would be a shame to put these good looks to waste, don’t you think?”

“Why don’t you save it for someone who actually cares.” Kaz shot back. 

Jesper just chuckled, and Kaz logged the reaction as a confirmation to Jesper’s changing feelings. He’s always known that Jesper had harbored some feelings towards him, but Kaz had never done anything about it. Besides the fact that he had always seen Jesper as a brother, Kaz wasn’t built for the kind of relationship that his friend was craving. The night he broke his leg was plenty of proof of that. Kaz had always thanked whatever saints were present that someone else had shown up at the right time to divert the affection. 

“Speaking of someone who actually cares.” Jesper drawled while also getting up from his horizontal position to sit. He threw his legs out and tapped his glass with nervous fingers. “I don’t suppose you’ve seen a shy, anxious, chemist running around, would you?”

Kaz rolled his eyes, “I’m not Wylan’s keeper. And you know better to ask me that.”

“Yeah, well, I figured I could hit two birds with one stone, I get to know about Wylan and also transition to the real reason I’m here.”

Kaz had a clue as to what Jesper wanted, but he still said, “Spit it out.”

“The Princess of Suli.” Jesper said his smirk reaching his eyes, “Do tell me all those sordid details.”

“It’s an arranged marriage, Jesper. How sordid can it be?”

“You forget I know the princess, dear Kazzie,” Jesper intentionally said the nickname that should have ended with Jordie, “And she’s not just beautiful, but accomplished, smart, determined, kind–”

“I know.” Kaz didn’t need the rundown. He notices Inej too much as it is, he didn’t need the comprehensive list. “But this is all just a means to an end.”

“I’m glad that all these years haven’t taken the cryptic out of you. Any chance you’re going to elaborate?”

Kaz hesitated as he weighed the cost of telling Jesper his plans. Nikolai had sent him a missive two days ago saying that they were close to uncovering the Dime Lions. Thus far, they’ve only given him the name of the gang leader: Pekka Rollins. It wasn’t much, but it was something.

It was enough for Kaz to find out that he used to be a stonemason on the small nation of the Wandering Isle. He had moved to Kerch almost twelve years ago. He ran gambling halls and whorehouses and leased his thugs out to powerful men. This could include the person who had ordered the assassination of his parents. 

He’d need more information though. It wasn’t enough to rely on a king who sometimes moonlights as a privateer. He needed an ear on the ground, and as Kaz looked at Jesper, an idea came to him. 

“You still play the tables, don’t you?” Kaz said casually. 

Jesper scratched a spot behind his ear, suddenly sheepish, “Um…sometimes.” 

“By sometimes you mean you try not to get caught?” 

“My parents have made it clear that if they catch even one card in my hand, I’d be shipped to the Shu for university, so no I don’t get caught.” Jesper said his glass was empty but he rolled it in between his palms.

“How about a job then?” Kaz said slowly. 

“A job?”

“Yes. One where you get some credit every night, and you get to play in some of the best gambling halls Ketterdam has to offer?” 

Jesper’s eyebrows raised in shock. And he couldn’t blame his reaction. He knew that his friend had gotten into his fair share of trouble over nights of endless “just one more hand”s, but he couldn’t think about that now. Jesper wasn’t going to change unless he wanted to, so it seemed like a wasted opportunity to not use that to his advantage. 

“Let me get this straight,” Jesper got up from the couch and started to pace, “You’re offering to give me money so I can play cards up and down the gambling district?”

“I’m offering to give you money, so you can play and listen to conversations and tell me what you hear.”

If he had looked shocked before, it didn’t hold a candle to the expression he had on now.

Kaz got up from behind his desk and moved to the drink cart, “I’m getting close, Jes. I’m getting close to figuring out who had ordered my parents’ death. And I need someone to get me information. I can’t trust anyone at the Crow Club and I don’t trust any of the guards to not tell my brother about this. Jordie can’t know. Will you do it?”

He turned around to face Jesper, and he saw him sift through the risks. It wasn’t just the playing in less-than-reputable gambling houses, Jesper would also be risking his parents finding out or that someone might recognize him, or losing to the wrong people. But then again, Jesper always had a taste of the wild and dangerous, it had benefitted Kaz on more than one occasion. And he felt Jesper’s agreement even when he said, “What do I get out of it, Prince Kazzie?”

“Besides my silence regarding the trouble you got into the last time you were in the Crow Club? I’ll tell you where Wylan is.” 

Mischief danced in his gray eyes, “I can always trust you to deliver the vinegar before the honey, can’t I? Okay, fine. I’ll do it.”

Kaz nodded once, “Start tonight. I need anything you can find out about the Dime Lions and Pekka Rollins, but don’t be stupid about it.”

“When have I ever?” 

“I’m serious, Jes.”

“Don’t tell me you’re actually worried about me?” There was that smirk again.

“I’m worried about the excuses I’d have to make to your parents _and _my brother if you’re taken hostage or dead in a ditch. So be careful, Jesper. I’ll have Anika and Pim escort you. Meet them at the Crow Club.” 

“Nothing says safe better than bouncers.” Jesper rolled his eyes and began making his way to the door, but Kaz noted the tension in his shoulders, the danger of this assignment settling into his spine.

Kaz went back to his desk, his drink in hand, while Jesper raised an eyebrow at him.

Kaz sighed, “Wylan’s hiding out in the music hall. I suggest you hurry. His father thinks he’s at university right now.”

-

As soon as Jesper eagerly left his study to go bother someone else, Kaz waited a few more minutes before saying, “I can feel your questions burning a hole through that wall, Princess. Speak your mind.”

He sat back in his chair as he heard the secret door open off to his left and Inej materialized in front of him with a stony expression on her face.

“How did you know I was there?”

Kaz shrugged. Call it a sixth sense or intuition, but Kaz had always been finely attuned to the feeling of being watched, and since Inej walked through this world like a spirit, he had to more or less rely on that. 

“You sent Jesper out to a gambling hall.” Inej stated, her eyes as sharp as the dagger sheathed at her waist. She was dressed in dark trousers and a tunic today. An attire made for battle than a palace. 

“I sent him out to several.” 

“And you know about the scandal he had caused because of his taste for cards?” 

Kaz did know about that. He was the one who had bailed him out. With the added benefit of Jesper owing him a favor. 

“Is there a point to his inquiry?” Kaz said instead.

“You sent him out to find information for you even at the risk of ruining his reputation and the reputation of his country?”

“Jesper doesn’t need my help in ruining his reputation. He does it fine by himself.”

Inej studied Kaz for a long while. Her rich brown eyes, analyzing his face as if there was some secret there that she longed to pull out. He stayed perfectly still under her scrutiny. He wouldn’t be intimidated by her. He wouldn’t let her infuriating righteousness distract him from his goal. 

“How long have you been looking for your parents’ muderer?”

_There it is_. He knew that the question had to come eventually, especially since she seemed to have heard his entire conversation with Jesper. 

“Since the day I had found my parents dead.” Kaz said simply. The rest of the story was on the tip of his tongue, but he held back. Those memories had already plagued his nights, he didn’t need that darkness to seep into his days either. 

“Why don’t you want your brother to know you’re still looking for them?” 

“Because he’d tell me to give it up. Jordie has always been the better man, so he was able to let it go. To move on. I won’t. I can’t.”

Inej was silent again, but he noticed a shift in her eyes. They went from scrutinizing to sympathetic and he hated the comfort he found there.

“Revenge is a dagger that you hold over your own heart, prince.” Inej said.

“I have no interest to hear your Suli proverbs, princess.” Kaz snapped. “If you have nothing else to berate me for, or if you insist on lecturing me on a pain you don’t understand than I invite you to leave.”

Inej’s jaw ticked, and the sympathy in her eyes disappeared. She stalked closer to his desk, and Kaz felt his own anger spark with hers. 

“You will never know anything about my pain, prince. I had to suffer a kidnapping, two years in hiding with a circus, and no way to contact my parents. You have no right to say anything about my pain.”

Kaz knew the story. The princess of Suli had been taken, but no ransomed place. They said that slavers were responsible for it. His brother had tightened their security when the news had reached them. And the rumors were rampant about the fate of the princess. Some had said that she had died. Or that she was sold to a pleasure house on the shores of Shu. Or that she still lived. It had come to a great relief when she had turned up back to her home, dirtied, half-starved, but alive. 

His parents had been dead for two years, and he had been floating on his own delusions to really have time to put out his own conjectures. While Inej studied him, Kaz took his time reading the emotions behind her eyes. There was annoyance, disdain, and more importantly anger. Anger was understandable. Anger was easy. Anger still meant that she cared. And that was worth everything.

“Tell me, princess, given the chance, if you could look at those slavers in the eye as you drive that knife into their hearts. Would you do it?” 

Her hesitation was all the answer he needed. 

“Revenge may be my undoing, but not before I take down the demon that created me.” Inej didn’t say anything, and Kaz felt something else move between them. Something other than contempt and disdain. It came close to understanding, maybe that’s why he offered something to her. “You have certain skills I can use, Princess. Skills that’ll bring our engagement and my goals closer to the end. If you help me, I can help you.” 

They hung suspended in silence. Caught in a battle of wills that neither was used to losing. 

Eventually, Inej took a step back. Her face suddenly unreadable.

“Can you guarantee that you can find them? The slavers that took me?”

“No.” Kaz said bluntly. “I can’t guarantee them, but you seem the type to still have hope in the impossible. Now, what do you say, dear fiancee? Help me, help you?”


	7. past mistakes

Kaz didn’t like to be wrong. Part of the reason is because it happens so rarely, and the other part was because that’s what led him to be the crippled prince of Ketterdam. 

If he had just been more careful, or if that thief had just decided to take his purse and run then maybe his life might have turned out differently. But as it happens, it was one mistake. One baffling moment of following a lone figure with a scar down his cheek down an alley. In that moment, he had only seen the face of his parents murderer and the dark beast that snapped in Kaz’s nightmares roared to life. 

Not knowing exactly what he was going to do when he caught up to the man, Kaz had taken pursuit, leaving the inattentive guard who had been assigned to him while his brother met with some of the commoners. 

He had kept his feet as silent as he could, and just as the man in question had turned a corner, a group of four teenage boys emerged from a hidden spot and cornered him.

At the time they looked like stone giants that had been granted life. Their bodies wiry, dirty, and built to inflict pain. Kaz replayed the memory like it had just happened, everything about that day was seared into his mind. The way the leader of the pack had two of his teeth missing and hair that was cropped close to his head. His hands were rough as they ripped at Kaz’s cloak. 

He could imagine the fear that made his blood run cold as they surrounded him. He remembered how the smaller one with the knife had pointed out the royal seal and his comrades had leapt at that knowledge like the savage beasts they were.

He could feel the way his body had bounced off the hard bricked wall of the alley and the taunts that were thrown at him like stones to a condemned man.

“You’re parents deserved that death.”

“They did nothing but take from boys like us.”

“What did the royal family ever do for us?”

His clothes were ripped apart and it wasn’t until he felt a fist connect with his face that Kaz suddenly felt the bile rip free from his stomach. He threw up right then and there and the group of boys just laughed. 

“The piss-prince has a weak stomach.” 

“Makes sense don’t it. A weak bitch through and through.”

“Can’t even fight back, can ya, _Your Highness.”_

Kaz had shut his eyes, feeling every bruise forming from every kick to his side. A small part of him wanted to pretend to die-- to give up until they grew tired and left him alone. He was still a young boy at the time. A young boy who woke up in the middle of the night with cold sweat running down his back as he tried to blink away images of his parents. A boy who had started to imagine the press of his father’s bloated flesh against his whenever his brother touched him. He was weak, and scared, and utterly vulnerable. 

But something cold twisted in his mind right then. Something familiar and sharp split his mind and had him curl his fist around a broken bottle within his reach. He recognized the feeling. It was the same feeling he had when he first saw the man standing over his father’s body-- it was the feeling that drove him to not survive, but to take down whoever he could with his own destruction.

Before he had given it anymore thought, Kaz had swiped at the legs of the closest boy to him. The sharp edges of glass tearing through flesh. His screams were a sweet symphony, and gave Kaz enough energy to lift himself off the floor to face his other three attackers.

It was foolish to truly believe that this would be a fight he could win. For a couple of minutes, Kaz had hoped that maybe he could do it. He could defend himself. He could be strong, if not for his family, at least for himself. But he didn’t notice that one of the other boys had grabbed a metal pipe. He didn’t fully register the angle of which the larger boy was swinging. 

The next thing Kaz knew he was flat on the ground his leg in a terrifying angle and the four boys limping far far away from the alley, the leader looking back only to spit in his face. It wouldn’t be long before his brother and their guards would find him. His brother’s face screwed up with worry and anger. His questions demanding the identity of the culprits, and the reason why Kaz had wandered.

_It was because I thought I saw our parents’ killers, Jordie. I wanted to find him and make him hurt like he made them hurt. I thought I could catch him. I thought I could defend myself. I made a mistake._

The answers Jordie wanted were trapped in his mind, rattling to be set free, but Kaz kept the lock on his mouth. He just asked for the doctor and tried to tell Jordie that he had wandered too far and had taken a fall. By far the worst lie he’s ever told, but Jordie had no choice but to let Kaz lie to him. Kaz was adamant about keeping his own secret mistake, and it provided an ample enough story to tell the general public. 

The weeks after the incident led to the arduous process of gaining as much strength in his broken leg as he could. He used all the residual pain and the thump of his new cane as reminders of why he can’t afford anymore mistakes. 

Careless mistakes like the one he made by following that man in the alley was going to be his last one. 

Or at least he hoped.

Because as he tore his castle cloak off his body and walked as his leg allowed through the dark passageways that would lead him to town, he could hear his heart in his ears as the last words of Pim’s missive flashed through his mind.

“_Some problems by the Kaelish Prince. Sharpshooter is in trouble. Need assistance.”_

Kaz littered the dark hall with little bits of royal insignia’s and donned on the role of Dirtyhands. If his crew followed protocol there would be a horse waiting for him right outside the guard gate. That’s if they remembered to bribe the guards. 

He felt his shadow grow heavier as he got closer to the entrance. 

“Jesper’s in trouble, isn’t he?” Inej asked.

Her voice came from somewhere to his right, and although it was too dark to see he nodded.

“We need to move fast.” Kaz rumbled. His mind already jumping to all the things he would find at the Kaelish Prince. “I don’t think Jesper’s identity has been blown yet, but it’s only a matter of time. Priority is to get him out, and hopefully get some information. The less bodies the better.”

Inej suddenly gripped Kaz’s sleeve, stopping him just in front of the door, and gave him a stern look. 

“I’m not killing anyone for you, Brekker. I’m making that clear right now. I’ll help get Jesper out, and I’ll keep to our deal. But I’m not spilling blood just because it suits you.”

A flicker of annoyance went through Kaz, but he had no time to fully argue the point. “I’m not asking you to kill for me, Wraith.” The nickname slipped out of his mouth unbidden. It was a secret name that he had thought of when she snuck up on him for the fifth time in her first week of living in Ketterdam. And he plowed ahead hoping she hadn’t noticed, “I’m asking that when it comes down to it, kill for yourself. The men you’ll find in those parts of the Barrel will not hesitate to grab someone like you. I don’t know what it’s like in Suli, but in Ketterdam you’re either the knife or the dead. And I wouldn’t want to see you being the latter.”

Inej’s jaw tightened, but she let go of his sleeve, “I told you sending Jesper was a mistake.”

That’s when she walked ahead of him and pushed the door open bringing in a cold breeze. 

Kaz barely registered the chill, still focused on the fact that in such a dire situation Inej had the nerve to tell him “I told you so.”


	8. rescue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am just as surprised as you with this update. thank you to all those still keeping up with this story of mine, and thank you for your continued support!

Kaz could hear the telltale sounds of a full pub brawl bounce noisily against the cobbled streets. It was a discordant note in the symphony that was usually played in the likes of the Barrel. The usual sounds of drunken yelling and gleeful shouts of people high off of alcohol and anonymity were broken by the sound of glass shattering, shots ringing out, and bodies aggressively colliding with walls-- or fists. 

Inej stalked ahead in front of Kaz, and she held a hand out to stop him as they neared the building that most tourists and partiers were making an effort to avoid.

The Kaelish Prince’s usual crowd was nowhere to be seen as a huge brawl started to spill out onto the street and the loud whistle of the police getting closer and closer.

Inej made two gestures with the hand that was held up, and it was the most natural thing in the world for Kaz to interpret her signals. 

It was a good plan. She would take to the rafters while he tried to maneuver his way through the crowd. 

“We have to get Jesper out of here before the police find him.” Kaz whispered. He didn’t wait for her agreeing nod before he stalked through the brawling crowd.

Before his leg broke, Kaz had started to take sword fighting lessons, as was tradition of young Kerch princes when they turned eleven. He didn’t take to it like his brother had, his body just a tad weaker and leaner than Jordie’s was. He did his best, and tried not to look too foolish-- it didn’t do much. Then his leg broke. Then he started to hang with the likes of the Barrel. Then he learned how to fight like it mattered. Ketterdam’s dirtiest streets were better teachers than an uppity swords master who hadn’t seen a real fight in decades. 

As Kaz waded through the flying punches and dodging through stray bullets, he felt his heart kick up his beat. His own footing started to pick up the rhythm of survival, and as a burly man twice his height and weight set his bloodlust eyes on him, his muscles tensed in anticipation for the fight. 

He felt more than he saw the punch headed for his weak leg, and he brought his cane up and over and smashed it against the man’s ear. He heard the crunch of bone, and stepped over the howling man clutching at the side of his face. The lamp light of the street was too dim, and it was hard to catch any signal that Jesper was even among the fighting. 

Kaz didn’t have time to be brawling with every person who cut into his path, and dodge as he might, he was getting bogged down by the amount of bodies that were starting to come from each side-- especially when the first uniform appeared in the throng of people. 

He ducked inside the Kaelish Prince where most of the fighting was happening, and a quick flash of green got his attention. It wasn’t ntil he was a few more feet away that he confirmed that it was Jesper-- and despite the blood that was smeared on his cheek, he was grinning like a maniac. 

Kaz shoved his way forward and launched himself over the overturned table Jesper was using for cover. 

“Glad of you to join us.” Jesper yelled. His trademark Zemeni pistols were smoking at the ends, and he cocked one of them before he took aim at a man who had his eyes set on their hiding spot. 

“I thought you said you didn’t get caught!” Kaz grunted as a woman with a club as thick as Kaz’s skull decided to attack. Her club met his cane in an arm numbing collision. But in no time she was splayed out on her back with her collar bone broken and her weapon out of his reach. 

“It’s not helpful when someone accuses you of stealing.” Jesper grunted as he started to reload his gun.

“Were you?” Kaz growled.

“I’m offended by that.” He said. “I always play a fair hand.” Two shots rang out. “But it also doesn’t help that I may or may not have insulted someone’s mother trying to defend my honor.”

“Jes--”

“Kaz, watch out!”

Kaz has prided himself on always being one step ahead of everything. He was a master of his own survival-- except the knife that was flying towards him.

He saw the point of it come to him in slow motion, his limbs feeling too knock it aside, he braced himself for the inevitable pain, but like a shadow Inej materialized in front of him stopping the knife with her own weapons crossed in front of her. As the blade clanked to the floor, Inej’s arm flew out in one fuid motion and shot true to the opposing knife fighter. 

“Let’s go!” She yelled.

She darted away from their cover, slashing and cutting brawlers and gang members like a farmer cuts down wheat. She forged a path towards the back of the gambling hall, and with another roguish grin Jesper blew the smoke out of his guns before following closely behind. Kaz gave an imperceptible sigh of relief then followed suit-- trying not to think about the warm feeling in his chest that had nothing to do with the adrenaline pumping in his veins and everything to do with the girl with the knives in her hands who had just saved his life. 


End file.
